A technician with a diagnostic tablet beside an SUV raised on a two-post lift in a service workshop

After-Sales First: Building a Service and Parts Network That Protects the Brand

A brand wins its first customers in the showroom. It wins the second car, the fleet contract and its resale values in the workshop. In a market like Oman, where one brand took close to half of all new-vehicle sales in 2025 and buyers judge newcomers by how they are treated after the sale, after-sales is not a support function. It is the product.

New brands often plan it last. The showroom gets designed first, the launch campaign second, and the workshop and parts warehouse are fitted into whatever budget is left. This article sets out what Oman’s rules require, and what customers expect, from day one.

What the law requires

Oman’s Consumer Protection Law (Royal Decree 66/2014) and its executive regulation (Decision 77/2017) put clear duties on the brand’s local agent:

  • Warranty is mandatory. Vehicles, spare parts, tyres and accessories are on the list of goods that must carry a warranty.
  • The agent carries the manufacturer’s warranty. The agent must provide spare parts and repairs. Where there is no registered agent, the supplier is liable.
  • Loan vehicles. If the agent cannot fix a fault within 15 days, it must provide the customer with a similar product free of charge while the repair is completed.
  • Repeat failures. If a repair fails after three attempts, the customer can choose a replacement or a refund, less depreciation.
  • No tie-in clauses. Contract terms requiring customers to service only at the dealership, or excluding labour costs from the warranty, are void.
  • Recalls. The agent must stop sales, notify the authorities and owners, and recall. The regulation requires written notice to the Consumer Protection Authority, direct contact with each owner, and authority-approved notices in Arabic and English newspapers. Breaching the recall duty can bring three months’ to three years’ imprisonment and fines of RO2,000 to RO50,000.

Recalls are routine, not exceptional. Between 2013 and mid-2022, Oman recorded 764 vehicle recalls covering more than 1.17 million vehicles. A new brand should assume it will face one and have the process ready before the first car is sold.

At GCC level, GSO’s list of technical regulations also states that manufacturers should upload details of every recall to GSO’s Mutabiq system, and apply for a warranty agreement covering all vehicles marketed in the GCC, whichever importer brought them in.

Customers can go elsewhere, so the network must be better

The ban on tie-in clauses means a customer can have a car serviced anywhere without losing the warranty. Oman has a large independent sector: more than 13,500 vehicle repair and maintenance companies as of mid-2025. A brand’s network keeps customers only by being better: faster appointments, correct parts first time, transparent pricing, and technicians who know the product.

The five building blocks

1. Network capacity and location

Size the workshop network to the car parc you expect in three to five years, not the launch volume. Plan bays, lifts and technicians per thousand vehicles in operation, and put service points where your customers live and work, not only where the showroom is. In Oman, that means covering Muscat properly and having credible support in Sohar, Nizwa, Sur and Salalah as the parc grows.

2. Parts availability

Parts availability is where new brands most often fail. Agree minimum stock levels and fill-rate targets with the distributor, set up an emergency supply route, and decide where the regional parts stock will sit. An Oman free-zone warehouse can serve the domestic network and neighbouring markets. See Oman as a Regional Hub.

3. Diagnostic tools and technical information

Every service point needs the brand’s diagnostic equipment, software updates and repair information from the start, in a language the technicians use.

4. People

Under Oman’s Omanisation rules, roles including vehicle and spare-parts sales and general-maintenance mechanics are reserved for Omani nationals. The network plan must include recruitment and a structured training path to brand certification. See Building a Local Technical Workforce.

5. Ownership and structure

The list of activities closed to foreign investors includes general vehicle repair. Brands planning their own subsidiary should confirm how service will be delivered, often through an Omani partner or agent, before committing to a structure. See Distributor, Joint Venture or Subsidiary?

Standards to set before launch

  • Appointment lead time and service turnaround targets.
  • First-time fix rate, and parts fill rate at first request.
  • Warranty claim processing time and the approval route.
  • Customer satisfaction measurement after every visit.
  • A written recall procedure that meets Oman’s notification rules.
  • Technician certification levels for each role.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Consumer protection duties should be confirmed with Omani counsel.

How Lutis helps

Our team has set up OEM dealerships and service centres for Ford, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz across Asia and has run large workshop networks. We plan network capacity and locations, specify workshops and parts operations, set the standards and measures, and prepare warranty and recall processes that meet Oman’s rules.

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